Chapter Text
It was no secret that you had eyes for the sheriff of the Wild East.
Well, to anyone who knew you, that is… and not many people knew you around these parts.
It started as simple curiosity. Then it turned into admiration. Now you’re left with butterflies every time the sheriff smiles and then they increased tenfold when you found out why he does what he does.
You had always known that it was just an act. The Underground was an incredibly peaceful place and conflict was rare. Yet there was a need for a sheriff? And his posse? On top of the royal guard? Yeah right.
You initially just took his words and actions with a grain of salt. You played along like everyone else in town while keeping your head down. You went out for drinks and smiled and gave praise at the right times.
It became almost like a routine.
Except it wasn’t.
When the excitement fell into a lull and everyone was left to the silence of their minds, you saw it.
No one was happy to be stuck in the Underground, you knew that, but you had already come to terms with the fact that you’d probably never see the surface. It didn’t bother you anymore. But it seemed like people with your mindset were few and far between.
It happened on an ordinary night, nothing particularly special had happened in a while. North Star and his posse had yet to enter the saloon so the regulars were left to their own devices. That had been fine until their conversation took a turn for the worse.
You learned that the monsters you surrounded yourself with were unhappy. They wanted to see the surface. They wanted to see the Sun. They wanted to see the stars. They wanted everything that they couldn’t have down in the Underground.
They wanted their freedom.
Wrapped up in their conversations, the regulars failed to notice the sheriff at the saloon doors.
But you had.
He stood there quietly, frozen with the door partially open. The frown on his face indicated that he had heard the conversation. The way he clenched his fists and glared at the ground made you think for a second that he was angry. As he scanned the room to see if anyone had noticed him, you were glad that your body was angled away from the door and that your hat concealed your gaze, much like the sheriff’s.
After concluding that no one had seen him, North Star made his silent exit.
You questioned if he had decided to just go home rather than let his mood be soured by the depressing topic until you heard the spurs of his boots on the hardwood steps of the saloon. He all but announced his arrival by basically stomping up the stairs and bursting through the saloon doors.
Gone was his frown, replaced by a confident smirk and a boisterous laugh that filled the saloon. His posse quickly followed him as he started his nightly storytelling. The longer he spoke, the lighter the atmosphere got. Despite the somewhat repetitive nature of his stories, everyone listened to North Star with rapt attention. They clung to his every word and held their breaths with anticipation as he relayed his tales.
He was… He was doing it for them.
This wasn’t just an act to boost his ego.
This was pure selflessness.
That was probably the night that you truly fell for the sheriff.